Naval Radio Transmitter Facility (NRTF) Niscemi

NRTF Niscemi
Niscemi, Sicily in Italy
NRTF Niscemi
Location of NRTF Niscemi
Coordinates 37°07′02″N 14°26′24″E / 37.11722°N 14.44000°E / 37.11722; 14.44000
Type Naval Radio Transmitter Facility
Site information
Owner United States Navy
Controlled by Naval Computer Telecommunications Station Sicily
Website NCTS, Sicily
Site history
Built 1991

Naval Radio Transmitter Facility Niscemi (NRTF Niscemi) is a transmission facility of the United States Navy at Niscemi, Sicily, maintained by the N92 Division of Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Sicily. The facility houses low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) transmitter and antenna systems, and certification of the new U.S. Navy Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) ground terminals is in progress as of early 2015.[1]

Installations

The joint American, Italian, and NATO facility houses an AN/FRT-95A Low Frequency Radio Transmitting System,[2] hosts a USAF HF SCOPE Command, part of the High Frequency (HF) Global Communications System (HFGCS)[3][4] and a US Navy MUOS Ground Station. The surrounding antenna field supports one 827 foot LF antenna, 44 HF (3–30 MHz) antennas, three MUOS Earth Terminal parabolic antennas, and 2 UHF Directional Helical antennas for satellite direction finding. Several different types of HF antenna are installed, though the majority are no longer in use. 116 Antenna towers are installed which hold aloft 35 antenna transmission lines. Antenna types include four Horizontal Log Periodic (HLPA) with 2 tall towers each, four rotatable log periodic (RLPA), seven Horizontal Omnidirectional Broadband (HOBA) each with 4 antenna towers, seven High Take-Off Angle (HTOA), 11 Dual Mode (DM) antennae held aloft with 7 towers each, 1 Spira-cone, and 10 decommissioned Horizontal/Vertical HF Loop Antennae.[5] The LF Transmitter uses non-line-of-sight propagation for communication with submarines.

Local opposition

Since 2011 the station has become the target of protests by the people of Niscemi, citing concerns over the expansion of the site, which is located inside the Riserva Naturale Sugherata di Niscemi, a protected Site of Community Importance, and the possible harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation on the local wildlife and inhabitants from the MUOS ground stations. In the face of the protests, in March 2013 the regional government revoked authorisation for the installation of MUOS,[6][7] and commissioned an independent study by the Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità ("Higher Health Institute"). The ISS report, issued in July 2013, concluded that there was no evidence that electromagnetic emissions posed a risk, but recommended further monitoring,[8] and authorisation was re-granted. Local "No-MUOS" committees then organized demonstrations, and blocked road access to the site. In the face of this opposition the United States authorities have repeatedly stated that emissions from the site are well below agreed safety standards, and point to the operation of a similar site in Hawaii that has not reported any problems or incidents.[9][10][11]

See also


High Frequency Dual Mode Antennas at NRTF Niscemi
High Frequency and Low Frequency Antenna Field at NRTF Niscemi
US Navy Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Earth Terminal Facility at NRTF Niscemi. This ET Facility is unique, located in a Natural reserve the antenna's parabolic dishes were painted sky blue, and the antenna pedestals were covered in natural stone from to help blend into the natural beauty of the surrounding Sicilian countryside.
Naval Radio Transmitter Facility (NRTF) Niscemi, Low Frequency Antenna and support building in foreground left, High Frequency Antenna field in background, Main Facility building at right.
Horizontal Log Periodic Antenna tower at NRTF Niscemi. Concertine wire installation was added to discourage climbing of the antenna towers which could result in Radio Frequency (RF) burns.

References

  1. ↑ "Naval Radio Transmitter Facility (NRTF) Niscemi". Virtual Globetrotting. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Naval Radio Transmitter Facility (NRTF) Niscemi". globalsecurity.org. 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  3. ↑ "USAF High Frequency Global Communications System". The RadioReference Wiki. 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  4. ↑ "High Frequency (HF) Global Communications System (HFGCS)". globalsecurity.org. 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Info on US Navy Comm Stations". virhistory.com. 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  6. ↑ Logan, Gabi (July 5, 2012). "Sicily Protests Against High-Frequency MUOS Satellite Dishes Built Near Nature Reserve and Inhabited Area". ITALY Magazine. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  7. ↑ Giannelli, Silvia (October 15, 2013). "Sicilian Town Opposes U.S. Transmitters". Inter Press Service. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  8. ↑ Bertelli, Michele; Sardella, Rosario (October 2, 2013). "Idyllic Italian town protests US army base". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  9. ↑ Emanuelli, Matteo (September 6, 2013). "MUOS Ground Station in Sicily Raises Protests and Concerns". Space Safety Magazine. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  10. ↑ Fahsi, Magda (October 22, 2013). "Small Italian Town Confronts US Military Radio Transmitter Project". mintpressnews.com. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  11. ↑ Barbie Latza Nadeau, "The Tiny Italian Town Killing the U.S. Navy’s Surveillance Plans", The Daily Beast, April 28, 2015 .
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